Data and Software Engineer

About The Ocean Cleanup

The Ocean Cleanup is on a bold mission to develop technology to rid the world’s oceans and rivers of plastic. Our pioneering work focuses on developing innovative solutions that can eliminate plastic pollution at a massive scale. We believe in tackling the plastic crisis through sustainable, large-scale systems that can capture plastic from rivers and oceans, ultimately removing 90% of ocean plastic by 2040.

We combine in-house engineering expertise with cutting-edge technology, collaborating closely with operations and other technical teams to deploy systems that can truly make a difference. With our unique approach, we’re working on solving one of the planet's most pressing environmental issues—plastic pollution—and we need passionate, skilled people to help us turn this mission into reality.

Located in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, we are a fast-growing, international team that thrives on innovation, creative problem-solving, and commitment to sustainability. We are driven by our values of Innovation, Tenacity, Teamwork, Integrity, and Sustainability. These values guide us every day, ensuring we stay focused on our mission to clean up rivers and oceans worldwide. By joining our team, you’ll have the opportunity to contribute to this groundbreaking work, helping create a sustainable future for our planet.

About the Position

Working in a hybrid model, you will join the enabling team, where we are responsible for ensuring the success of the mission across all different facets of the organization. You will be responsible for maintaining and evolving the Data Acquisition platform, ensuring correct and timely access to a variety of different data sources as well as helping Data Scientists achieve their objectives.

Within the Data Team, you will be working closely with the other enabling functions, as well as the R&D teams. You will help the enabling functions to get better insights into their operations by working together with Data Analysts to provide them with governed and clean data sets which can be accessed through a centralized data catalog. You will also be responsible for helping the R&D ensure that their research can have an impact. We do this by ensuring that they have timely access to data from a variety of different data points - sensors on the vessels, cameras over our interceptors - as well as providing guidance and insight on best practice Software Development principles.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Converting technical requirements into efficient and maintainable data pipelines
• Collaborating closely with Data Scientists
• Sharing best practices and knowledge with Data Engineers
• Developing and maintaining in-house software
• Improving the underlying (cloud) infrastructure
• Ensuring code quality through best practice software principles and DevOps practices
• Helping to maintain the Data Acquisition Platform

NB: While the responsibilities above apply to a wide range of roles (Data Engineer / DevOps engineer / Software Engineer), we expect successful candidates to be proficient in some respects and knowledgeable in others.

MUST HAVES

• At least 5 years’ experience in Software Development in a professional environment
• Bachelor / Masters in a relevant field
• Familiarity with Agile methodologies
• Adaptability and experience working in fast-paced, dynamic environments
• Proficiency in Python
• Experience developing and maintaining (micro) web-services
• Experience in Kubernetes, SQL, relational databases – ideally PostgreSQL
• Cloud-first architectures (we use Azure)

NICE TO HAVES

• Experience with BI and/or data visualization tools like Power BI
• Experience with monitoring tools like Sentry, Prometheus, Grafana
• Experience with Spark, Databricks
• Experience processing scientific / geospatial data

WHAT'S IN IT FOR YOU?

• Competitive salary reflective of the non-profit sector.
• Opportunities for career advancement and professional growth.
• Flexible working arrangements and a collaborative, supportive work environment.
• The opportunity to work on impactful projects with a global reach that directly contribute to the planet’s future.

 #LI-JM1 
 #LI-Hybrid